


vaha

by orphan_account



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Splash Free, Anal Sex, Drama & Romance, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Masturbation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-08
Updated: 2014-09-08
Packaged: 2018-02-16 09:32:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2264634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The reigning sovereign of an oasis city of wondrous trade and fortune finds his land and his people threatened through loss of their most valued resource; water. It becomes clear soon that a political conspiracy is in place, and it becomes increasingly difficult to know who to trust, and who to condemn. A short story about a young prince and his young adviser struggling with very real problems of kings and gods and nature.</p>
            </blockquote>





	vaha

“Now, Sire.” an incredibly attractive baritone purred in Rin’s ear, rousing him from a warm slumber.

He couldn’t say he was entirely happy to be disturbed, but the voice was so _smooth_ , so _low_ and just _right_ to not grate his sensitive ears and irritate him. All things considered, it was a wonderful wake up call, but he still wanted to sleep, _just a little mo-_

“Rin, please.”

There was a shifting sound on the sheets around him, and Rin felt the warmth on his back spread over to his shoulders, down his arms and then he was moved around with ease so a strong arm was curled around his chest, with the intention of pulling him up and away from his sheets. Rin’s arms clutched onto the one around him, and he pressed his face further into his soft feather pillow, not wanting to move, and instead of allowing the comfortable heat to move away from him, he was dazedly trying to absorb it.

“If you don’t wake up, I’m going to leave.”

There was a tug on the arm he had hugged to his chest and Rin’s brow twitched a little. Finally, his eyes fluttered open and he half found himself watching his pillow that he had his face pressed into. The other half saw the edge of his bed and the table on his bedside. He could see some of his jewels dangling off the edge, glittering prettily from the sunlight hitting the gems and the polished gold.

“There we go.”

Rin huffed out an exhale, and finally turned his head to look up at the person behind him. The eye on the side of his face that was pushed into his pillow was unseeing for a long moment, but sight slowly returned to it and Rin was suddenly aware of the devastatingly handsome face looking down at him.

“’ood morn’,” Rin slurred, his jaw a little lazy in movement. He let his head drop back and simply kept watching his bedmate-but-truly-bodyguard.

“About time,” said Sousuke, his expression a little exasperated. Rin brought his hand up to jab his index finger between his brows and almost caught his left eye, instead poking just under his brow. Sousuke didn’t so much as blink – which was quite impressive, Rin had to admit.

“I’m up, I’m up,” Rin’s voice was a croak and he turned his head away just a bit, a little abashed by any possible morning breath.

“You’re half an hour behind schedule. Normally I wouldn’t let you sleep in, but…” Sousuke trailed off then looked down at Rin’s hips pointedly, “I figured you needed a bit more rest.”

“As if half an hour would do much difference.” At the reminder he had just then began to notice the dull ache that just barely pulsed in his lower back. A long night of sex did wonders to reduce his stress and improve his overall mood for the next few days, but usually with repercussions should it be in excess. Quite like now.

“You’re complaining, so that’s probably a good sign you can manage movement.” After the idle comment, Sousuke really pulled away this time and simply sat back, leaving a space between his arms and his chest that Rin was not so fond of.

But work was work, and for him work was an entire desert metropolis to govern. It was not usual that he wanted to be spoiled; there must have been a reason, though he couldn’t recall at the moment – not when he could roll onto his back and stretch only for the sake of giving his lover a show of his skin. Maybe he’d let him stay a little longer.

Sousuke’s eyes spanned over his chest and down to his hips until they followed the lining of the sheets covering the rest of his lower body. Rin thought he looked a bit disappointed he couldn’t see the rest of him when he was stretching back and up the mattress, the arch maybe a touch more sensual than a waking yawn should have evoked.

“Just to inform you clearly,” Rin purred, his nose pressing into his own bicep as he turned his head and looked up at him, “I am not getting up without my morning kiss.”

Sousuke looked surprised at that. Not exactly an expression foreign on his face but in no way was it common either, and Rin loved the way his eyes widened just a bit before his entire expression melted into warmth. It almost made him sigh.

Wonderfully shaped lips curled and a smile was there to accompany his deity-blessed good looks.

 _Ah_ , Rin wanted to be kissed by that smile.

Luckily for him, he saw the word ‘ _noted_ ’ form on that mouth – at which he realized he was likely staring at suggestively – and then Sousuke was moving nearer. Rin’s eyelids fluttered shut and within moments he felt the touch of a familiar mouth on his.

For someone of his reputation, Sousuke was always the gentlest with him. One would assume it to be an issue should passion be in question, but it was as if Sousuke was made to know him, and he always knew what Rin would need from him. Rin was the lock that only Sousuke had the key to, even after all these years.

Were it an issue of vulnerability, he would have been apprehensive but they were so, so far from that, that this was only a comfort he could singularly permit himself.

Sousuke was the only thing Rin would ever allow himself to indulge on.

He pressed up, brought his hands down and clung to him around his shoulders. His lips had parted, a sighing moan escaping him finally as he’s trusted with Sousuke’s natural weight. He’d just washed his face and the oil he used to shave almost intoxicated his senses.

It was always a soothing scent he used, not one that was too heavy or too light to not leave a presence; it was always just right and enough to make him want to breathe him in. He hadn’t even noticed he was becoming short of breath, as focused as he was on the little noises they made as they kissed. Sousuke especially, had a lovable habit of suckling on his bottom lip. It often left it a deep pink hue and just slightly swollen, but it was not a quirk Rin minded as much as he might have, had it been another.

However, too soon for his liking, he was pulling back. Rin did not want to move away in the least, but the hand on his side kept him where he is. The sun filtered through his eyelids when Sousuke moved back, the shade he had provided gone to let him become aware of the sunlight now reaching their bed.

Finally, he opened his eyes and he would admit to being weak to the look of love when it was directed at him at such close range. Sousuke watched him with what he could only describe as love, his usually chilled eyes thawed and fluid in expression. The sunlight behind him and the rays reflecting in his own eyes made it look as though he was circled with a halo.

“Good morning, Sire.”

* * *

 A desk full of paperwork, half a dozen faction heads, and the necessary documentation signed and several hours of agonizing review work later, Rin was finally allowed to leave his throne room. He was already suffocating inside, and the insistent nag from Sousuke about spending his afternoon with Gou before she left for the western palace wasn’t any help. He could count in the devastatingly hot weather, even more than usual when the sun was high in the heavens, but to do that would only drive in the obvious reality of choking heat he was trying to ignore.

“You whined considerably less today,” said Sousuke, following him but a step behind. His hands were occupied by a scroll that he was reading through. Did he not have to look up to see where he was _going_?

“Well you kept reminding me to stop whining, so I did not have much of a choice in the matter. It was either I stop expressing my discomfort or you would just keep finding something else to be _concerned_ about and helpfully let me know about it.” Rin said with an irritated snarl to his words.

“As your advisor, I would like to think that is what I am here for, Sire,” the _ass_ replied, making Rin roll his eyes pointedly.

Bodyguard with advisor on the side. It wasn’t so much that Rin didn’t trust Sousuke’s judgement enough to actually call him his advisor but it was a stuffy old title, meant for stuffy old men. On top of that, they usually weren’t so good at seeing eye-to-eye when on the topic of politics and what a reigning prince should be like.

“You did take a look at the documentation I left you concerning the river and the border negotiations, right?” Sousuke voiced as they took a turn and the clerks trailing behind them parted ways from the two of them.

Rin snorted, but it was more a sound of irritation at what he’d read, rather than in dismissal of it. “They try to threaten me with the warning of taking _drastic measures_ when it was agreed only a handful of years ago that the river would be theirs, despite them having the source in their lands.”

The city down south, bordering Rin’s city’s land, was another city. It was smaller and blessed with a slightly wetter climate. The ongoing dispute of the river that ran through Rin’s country but began from theirs had been resolved less than a decade ago, but the recent calls for negotiation had been less than promising to Rin.

From what Rin had read, they were requesting his cooperation in amending the agreement to share the water source. It may not have been so terrible, if of course that same river wasn’t the only source of water Rin’s city had to themselves. Needless to even mention, the negotiations were not proceeding very brightly, if at all.

He sighed, his fingers pushing his hair back in ill-concealed stress. “I have yet to write a response back, today has been busy, but I will have to have you go through it later as well. Something about the way they worded their letter was suspiciously aggressive. We will have to pinpoint exactly _what_ they could have meant with _drastic measures._ ”

Sousuke simply gave a nod and a noise of affirmation. Little else could be said – it was a sensitive and dangerous topic to be speaking of on their way to lunch.

Rin’s steps slowed as he approached the dining hall, his hands reaching up to adjust his heavy clothes – he’d much rather be without them – before he set his hands on the door and pushed.

Gou sat in her usual seat, looking an odd kind of forlorn as she stared down at her plate. The slightest pang of guilt sang through his chest, judgemental, when he noticed _ah, this might be because of me._ He wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or even guiltier when she looked up at the sound of the door swinging open and her eyes landed on him. She looked happy.

Rin stepped towards her, a warmer smile on his face than the straight face he’d been wearing the whole morning. “Gou.”

“Brother!” she’d squealed almost at the same time, making to stand but he waved her down before walking to his seat and settling down in front of her instead of sitting at the head of the table where he’d usually sit. “I thought you were too busy to come for lunch today.”

She’d said it tentatively, almost as if she didn’t want to risk jinxing it and making him remember some errand he’d forgotten. He grinned, all teeth – he wanted to show his smile to her at least today, his exhaustion be damned.

“My schedule cleared up last minute, you have me for an hour or two.” Rin said, his voice tinged with amusement as he shot a look to Sousuke who had just leaned against Gou’s seat. He always became more casual around the two of them, and sometimes their mother as well – a side Rin was always more comfortable with. It was almost like a trigger; Rin would always respond accordingly and relax now whenever Sousuke did.

Sousuke reached forward and plopped a small piece of Gou’s steak he’d picked with one of the used skewers on her plate. He shrugged at Rin’s knowing look, replying after swallowing the bite. “Surprising really. I wonder what kept the agricultural supervisor from attending today. He has rescheduled of course, for tomorrow, but it’s quite lucky he wasn’t able to see you today.”

Gou tilted her head back and pushed her plate to the side just a little, welcoming him to pick from her plate as he wanted. Sousuke smiled at her, in that kindly older brother way that Rin couldn’t and Gou looked thankful.

“It is quite fortunate for me, then. Thank you, Sousuke.” she chirped, then turned to smile at her brother. Rin scoffed and turned to ask for two more meals for him and Sousuke.

“Oh, not for me. I’m still quite busy, I’m afraid.” Sousuke told him, raising his hand to the woman bowing to Rin to signal just one meal before he was biting the last piece of meat from the skewer and standing up straight, one hand on Gou’s head affectionately, “I still have to meet with Seijuurou about the palace guards’ rotations.”

Rin’s lips curled into a bit of a frown, waiting for the server to leave before he spoke up. “What then, you tell me to clear up my schedule, but you won’t?”

Sousuke ruffled Gou’s hair, the smile on his face expertly present, “Ah, well, it’s rather difficult clearing up a schedule as fraught with activity as mine, Your Highness.” He returned his gaze up to Rin and seemed to not think anything of it. Rin knew why he’d be leaving him and Gou alone together but he wasn’t about to call him out on it.

Instead, he just watched Gou fuss that he was messing up her jewels, and him apologizing before straightening out her headdress. He stepped back after, bowing just a little to them both before he took his leave from the dining hall.

The silence he left behind had slowly become tenser, a little too awkward to be a normal atmosphere for two siblings. Rin shifted as he waited for his food and Gou had pulled her loose braid over her shoulder to adjust to keep her hands busy. A nervous tic, Rin bookmarked in his mind as a resurfacing before he noticed his hand had begun rubbing at his neck. At least they were alike in that aspect.

“Er… Brother,” Gou attempted, her voice a little meek at first, then with a gathering of courage, “Brother, I—Thank you. For coming.” A pause. “Here. To see me, I meant.”

The way Gou kept adding onto her sentence betrayed her apprehension, as if she couldn’t clarify herself enough to avoid any misunderstandings. It made Rin ease up a bit more, in reaction to her nervousness than anything else.

“You shouldn’t thank me for something like that. Sousuke just found me some time, is all it is.” His voice was soft, but his words were too blunt and he realized too late, his attempt at amending it was lost when he saw her withdraw from him. He hated that, but he hated his own blunders even more.

“I know. But it’s so rare to see you anymore, it felt like a pipe dream maybe-- perhaps catching you before night time,” she confessed, her breath short. _Nerves_ , Rin realized, shame clawing at him.

She wasn’t afraid of him, nor his words, but she was afraid of not seeing him and that only made Rin’s conscience thorn on him even more. “I’m only happy to see you before I left. That is all. So, thank you, Brothe—”

Rin’s temper flared before he could stop himself.

“Of course I would! What kind of a person do you even _see me a—!!_ ”

He shut himself up before he could continue, knowing he had gone and fucking ruined it again.

The outburst was unintended and just as unnecessary and _gods, let him take it back, he didn’t mean to say it like that._ He bowed his head, leaning back from where he had shot forward to deny her assumptions about his negligence. The negligence he would admit only to himself for being true.

Rin kept his eyes down, shame faced by princely standards. His meal arrived then, and he felt 12 years old again, letting her watch him fail once more. “It,” he began, biting his words out after the maid who had brought his food left the hall once more, “It’s nothing of note.”

Gou nodded, appreciating his effort regardless in a way he just did not deserve, and they began eating.

* * *

 

Rin left the dining hall with Gou, who had asked if she could spend some more time with him, and truly, who was he to ever say no to her? Her beaming smile was a consolation, that his earlier miswording and withdrawn attempts at affection were forgiven. It was enough to give him courage to try something else, at the very least.

She held onto his arm primly, as expected of a princess, but she was nothing if not animated during their walk. Gou always had a way with words, and a flair so dramatic she made fabled beasts seem weak and not nearly grand enough under her bold voice and vibrant expressions.

Sousuke had told him that’s probably how he sees her as her doting brother, to which he’d told him to be quiet, rather unkindly, he recalls. He’d then been told ‘It’s because she’s with you, idiot.’ But he’d also told him to be silent at that remark as well.

“.. And then you see, when she swung down from the drapes I was shocked! Shocked, I tell you! I had heard performers in her line of expertise were capable of magnificent feats of strength, but none like that!” Gou exclaimed, coming to the end of her story about the dainty performer she’d gone to see earlier in the week and seemed to have become very fond with. She had an unusual name. Chikara? Chigusa. He couldn’t recall in certain; she had zoomed through her story in her excitement too fast for him to catch it.

“That sounds plenty impressive.” Rin supplied dutifully, his expression having relaxed into a smile in the time they’d begun their walk. It was easier like this, letting her lead the conversation and stepping away from awkward talks about their feelings. It was better to feel than to talk with her, he realized.

“It was! She was very feisty as well, the many times I tried to come into contact with her, she continuously shut me down! I had never faced rejection quite like that, but she’s warmed up to me, I do believe.” A knowing smirk, one strangely akin to Rin’s had stretched across her small mouth, and Rin reached up to pinch her cheek for it.

“You’re leaving tonight, what on earth had you to gain by making a new friend in this city if you’re moving back to the Western Palace?” he questioned her, tugging at her cheek insistently as she attempted to move away from him. She had flushed, eyes bright and sparkling when she directed them to him once more.

“Oh, I’ve asked her to come join me! She said she’d not be able to survive without gaining her livelihood with the performing troupe, so I offered her a place by my side. I only learned she accepted last night however, so I had to rush with the preparations for her this-and-that this morning.” Gou explained, after freeing her cheek from his pinching grip. “She was quite offended by the offer you know, telling me ‘I am _not_ a prostitute!’ before I could convince her it was no such offer.”

Rin was appalled. More than that, he was pleasantly surprised by her insistence. No matter how many times he was faced with it, it baffled him how stubborn she was. “Ah… I see.” He responded dumbly.

“The preparations in mention that have been thus fulfilled, by the way,” came from Rin’s other side, and he turned to look at Sousuke falling into step beside him, but just a pace behind, as usual.

“Is that why you didn’t have a lunch break?” Rin demanded, not as angry as he was surprised that he had had no idea. Sousuke rolled his eyes.

“Nonsense, I’ve eaten already. I don’t need breaks,” Sousuke supplied simply – not that Rin found it sufficient at all.

“Of course you do, you madman. You made _me_ take a break!”

“That’s not because you needed it.” The cheek.

Gou stepped around Rin and between him and Sousuke instead, her smile ever present. “Now now, no fighting!” she chided, “Are you done with your work for now, Sousuke?”

“Not exactly, but if you need me for anything…” he trailed, allowing her to continue should she wish.

She grinned at him, taking his offer without hesitation, “Ah, very good, then! I need your help with one last thing.”

* * *

 

A flower exhibit. She wanted to take _flowers_ with her.

Rin often teetered on the suspicion that his sister was a bit of an unconventional character, but it was times like these that he became more certain of it. Sousuke, for his credit, didn’t look nearly as exasperated.

“Well, she’s right. It _is_ the only way to take the oasis flowers back to the Queen without having them dry or wilt.” He was really trying though.

“She misses you _terribly_ and you almost _never_ write to her anymore, so I only wanted to cheer her up with those flowers you keep around the open courtyard. She’s said _repeatedly_ that they remind her of you and how she misses them as well.” Gou continued to stress her words pointedly, milking all her sympathy notes she’d accumulated earlier on him now.

“It would need _considerably_ strong glass to stay intact.” Rin tried.

“That’s a non-issue. I’m sure we have some spares for the celebratory exhibits we have during festival season.” Sousuke supplied, not-helpfully. Rin directed his disgruntlement to him.

“Dragging some god forsaken plants across the desert is a horrible idea,” he tried once more.

“It’s still possible, regardless.” Sousuke said, then smiled at Rin just slightly, in a way that had his already weak resolve crumbling to nothing. “They are very lovely. I think you should send your mother some flowers.”

He was never strong, not against Sousuke, and Rin simply closed his eyes before agreeing, “Fine, fine.”

Gou cheered and took Sousuke by the arm, tugging as if to guide him back to the open court to pick which ones she wanted to take back to her mother. Sousuke was smiling again, warm even if it was a natural state for him to be in around him or Gou; Rin couldn’t keep himself from watching him despite it.

Even when he turned to Rin when Gou called for him, he was still content, and it was a far cry from what he used to see on his face. Rin kept finding more and more things to be thankful for.

“Are you coming?” was what he had asked, and Rin only nodded, his clothes weighing on his shoulders comfortably for once before his arm was being tugged on by Gou as well.

* * *

 When night-time arrived, it was about when they had just finished the final touches, and Rin had gone through Gou’s personal guard himself. They all knew the gravity of escorting a princess through a desert, but his line of thinking reminded him it never hurt to go make sure for himself, just in case. The skies had cooled from their skin-scalding heat to the occasional warm breeze. His clothes still felt stifling but Rin wasn't sweltering any longer just by having stepped foot outside the palace grounds and out of shade.

He was eyeing the head guard Seijuurou and his brother – Momotarou, he was called – a little suspiciously, what with their over eagerness to be joining Gou, but he let it slide off his shoulders after making Gou promise to just stay in her caravan through the duration of the trip.

When he was walking towards her, she was seated just at the door of the car. Her eyes misted a little before she closed them and waited for him to stop in front of her. “Alright… I’ll be leaving now, Brother. I’ll give your regards to Mother.”

Rin exhaled from his nose, a bemused smile on his face. “I’ll leave that to you, then. Make sure to write to me to let us know when you arrive. Use a hawk, they’re good at flying at night, and arrive faster.”

“I know, I know.” She smiled, a little shy but she still held her arms out and Rin let himself slot between them without a second thought.

His sister was warm, and full of kindness that she inherited from their mother. He did not believe he was so kind, or so warm. That was why her embrace was more like home than anything else, perhaps. It was a feeling he pondered on often, when he wasn’t crippled in the unease of their relationship and the tense roadblocks they had to maneuver around.

He raised his head just a bit and murmured, _‘please, be safe’_ into her ear, pulling back only after he heard her responding _‘I will, I promise’_ back in his hair. She looked prepared, and he felt ready to let her be on her way now. He let go of her shoulders to hold her hands and help her stand to go back inside the caravan.

Gou’s soft, small hands left his after she stepped inside, and she kissed her fingers before waving them to him. Rin’s chest warmed, and he repeated the motion, just this once, just for Gou, before he pushed the door shut, and secured it to lock tightly with his own hands.

He watched the caravan and the troupe depart the palace gates and he missed her already. He missed her, even if it was only her presence he had around her as comfort, he was already missing it. He turned and found Sousuke still issuing orders as he dispatched everyone to leave and finish their daily duties before retiring for the evening.

“When are you done with work?” Rin asked. He’d approached him soundlessly, but if Sousuke was startled, it didn’t show a single bit.

“Just a few checks around the palace.” He replied readily as he turned around to him, his hand dismissive of the last few guards loitering around, waiting for him to let them go back to their stations. “Something you need, Sire?”

Rin watched the guards retreat to a distance safe enough, wordless before he turned his gaze to Sousuke and allowed his head to tilt just a fraction to the side. “Come to my room after. I… I don’t want to be alone.”

* * *

 Rin’s steps felt heavy, anticipation pooling low in his belly as he made his way to his quarters. The implications of his request had gotten through almost embarrassingly quickly, with Sousuke’s eyes lighting suggestively the moment the words left Rin’s lips.

He tangled his fingers through his vest and the jewels sitting on his chest, his cheeks warming at the way he said his name before he excused himself. Sousuke always retained a special outer thin layer of softness when he spoke to him, but the moment Rin heard the honeyed sort of voice he used on him he was certain the message had gone through.

The door to his quarters gave away when Rin pushed it open, and he took solace in its steadiness by leaning back against it. Today had him drained, though he’d gone for days on end doing nothing but work. Emotions took a lot out of him and he let his head rest against the solid wood of his door before he pushed up.

He discarded his clothes and jewellery as he walked towards his bathing room, letting them form a pool of fabric and metal behind him as he ruffled his hair and carded his fingers through it, every strand aching dully with the slightest pleasure. He didn’t want a headache to come on now, and a bath sounded perfect for the creeping thrumming in his skull.

His private bathing room had two means of entrance: one from his room and one from outside directly. It was a space wide enough for him more than comfortably and he appreciated the emptiness at times. Very few people were allowed to come in here, and only should Rin allow them.

He slipped into the marble tub and let himself sink down. The water was just a touch too hot and he felt it press on his face – his eyelids in particular. He welcomed it today though, the heat of the water enveloping him enough to free his worries from where they’d latched onto his shoulders and dissolve them into nothing.

His face surfaced, but he still only heard the silence of the bath water in his ears. The dead silence was a comfort for once, filling his mind with emptiness and pushing thoughts away. Rin felt himself being warmed from outside in, his knot in his lower belly carefully coming loose and spreading through his body, going lower.

“Ah…” His chest rose above the water with the first inhale, then sank back in on exhale. He was getting hotter, and not the kind that resolved tension either. Moving himself up from the peace of silence, Rin pushes his hair back on his head.

A need was building in his body and Rin only adhered soundlessly to its demand, washing himself thoroughly, as fast as he could before he was rising and stepping out of the water. The towel he used to roughly rub himself to some form of dryness was discarded in favour of the thin robe he wore in the mornings.

He considered wrapping a low skirt around his hips for the sake of decency but decided against it, not bothering anymore to cover himself any further than needed.

The bed lowered with him when he let himself flop down on his back, sinking into the mattress before he was dragging himself up to let his head rest on his pillow, back where he was that very morning, excluding a very warm body pressed up behind him. Warm body, warm hands, and warm lips.

Rin let another sigh whistle through his lips, this one tinted with something more than exhaustion. The heat that was seated in his belly was keeping his skin alert, and he was so tempted, just to slide his hands down and—

_Oh—_

His cock felt hot to the touch, blood pooling lower as he felt his body tense further with the first stroke. His hips quivered, embarrassingly so. He wanted to curse his own sensitivity, and how he was even becoming aware of the sheets rustling under him and the way the night breeze that blew in through the arched bay window caresses his skin instead of chilling him.

He was beginning to feel feverishly warm. The burn of himself in his palm was heavy, and Rin began moving his hand faster. Precome slicked his fingers, but he was too far gone, eyes squinting shut. An image began forming in his mind’s eye, but it was unclear and he was winded in his effort to get his breathing under control when he noticed dimly that he was panting as if in heat.

There was humming in his ears, a familiar voice he loved listening to speak. A voice that sang him praises, and his skin remembered murmurs that were pressed into it when he was joined with him. He bit into his lip at the second surge of pleasure, just by memory.

Rin remembered big, warm hands roaming over his stomach, along his thighs and between his legs. His strokes were stronger, more certain and Rin dug his face in his pillow when he finally let a moan rumble out of his throat in his attempt to recreate the movement he adored so well done to him.

It was as good, something was missing and he was so _close_ to feeling him _but—_

“You’ve started without me.”

Rin had been lying on his bed, lost in his own pleasure when Sousuke had stepped into his quarters silently. The view of the bed was obscured by the sheer curtains around it but his prince’s writhing body was clearly outlined through it. He had been able to hear his moans and he had heard his name. He had been having far too much fun without him.

Instead of disturbing him though, Sousuke had simply taken his time undressing. In a clearer, more energetic mind set he may have realized just how pathetic it was that all it took for him to get hard had been Rin’s keening voice that was half muffled into his pillow, but when he had been on the verge of his control he couldn’t find himself to reflect on what aroused him.

Sousuke pushed away the veil of fabric, finding himself facing Rin’s strong back. His robe had been sticking to his skin enough that he knew he wasn’t dripping but he wasn’t completely dry either. With as little pressure on the mattress as he could press, he had slotted himself right behind Rin, spooning him as he settled into his place with a kiss on his shoulder.

“Rin.” He purred into his skin, having noticed just how hot he was, he was almost ablaze with his arousal. His hands slid down his sides and he curled his fingers around his thigh before pulling it up and letting it hook over Sousuke’s own knee that he’s raised. “You’ve started without me.”

“Sousuke—!” He moaned his name and ah, he liked hearing that pitch of near-begging in Rin’s voice.

“I haven’t even bathed yet, you know,” Sousuke informed him, teeth scraping his prince’s neck and pressing down on his pulse. “How hurried were you, Sire?”

Rin turned his head to look at Sousuke almost immediately, and it truly was a sight to behold. Cheeks aflame and lips parted, glinting just barely with the slightest of saliva from having kept his mouth open too long and eyelids cracked open only  at the barest, enough to see it was him and attempt at composure.

“You’re late,” he cried, accusingly, but it hardly had the effect on him that Rin had desired, instead going straight to his cock. Sousuke leaned in and nibbled on his bottom lip, his tongue sliding over the small indents left from him biting his lip too hard.

“I’m here now,” he reminded him, and tilted his head up to press his lips just into the groove below his ear, letting him hear every pronounced syllable, every word that was reverberating from his chest to his throat and onto his flushed skin, “Do you want me to help you, Rin?”

Rin was gasping, _please, please don’t stop talking, I want to hear you,_ but he couldn’t make his voice work as he wanted, and all he could get out was a choked up, “P-Please, Sousuke.”

There was something more to be said about how Rin’s tears affected Sousuke, but he decided to leave it this time in favour of joining his hand with Rin’s and giving a few test jerks. He was already slick here, ready for more. Sousuke circled just under the head with his thumb, earning himself a few whimpers that Rin was struggling to muffle into his pillow.

“That’s a lovely sound you just made,” Sousuke purred and taking the stuttered thrust into his fist as encouragement he continued even further, teasing the slit just enough to draw more precome before he was lightly digging his nail against it. The cry that was torn from Rin’s throat was like music, and his expert efforts were rewarded when his hips pushed back on his own cock and more sticky precome coated Sousuke’s fingers, but his own impatience didn’t permit him to listen any more than that.

With some effort, Sousuke pushed himself up and made to detach from Rin. A gesture Rin didn’t seem to appreciate when his fingers, warm and sticky with precome, grasped his wrist and his eyes became wide as plates in a panic, with what looked like a fear of him pulling away. It was the turbulence inside him no doubt, but Sousuke’s automatic reaction was to soothe him back into his previous state of boneless pleasure.

“I’m getting the oil, I’m not leaving,” he said, keeping his wrist in Rin’s grip, waiting until he was sagging back again. He seemed docile for a moment, chewing on his lip again out of habit before he let him go and rolled over to his side. It seemed a little difficult but he didn’t look in the least ready to close his legs so his torso twisted to reach over the side of the bed.

He rummaged quite a bit, searching and searching through clinks and pings of glass, until he finally leaned back, with a bottle just a knuckle smaller than his hand that he handed to Sousuke. “U-use this.” His words were breathy, his shoulders sinking back into his pillow once more.

He looked the picture of debauchment and the very image of a delectable dessert to Sousuke, and his nether region insistently reminded him to continue and make haste instead of wasting time admiring the delicacy spread out before him.

He looked too boneless to do more than basic instructions, so Sousuke scrapped the idea of making him stay on his knees while he prepared him. Instead, he shifted until he had Rin’s other leg that had been straight on the bed bent, keeping it pressed into the mattress and fixing Rin on his side.

“Hold your leg up,” said Sousuke, giving Rin’s ear one more kiss before he braced himself back on his elbow in order to supporting both their weight. He waited until Rin was holding his own thigh up securely and leaning back into Sousuke’s chest to support himself, so that he could begin shifting them around. He slipped his hand comfortably under Rin’s side and let his hand splay out, his palm pressing right in the centre of his chest while his other hand expertly tipped the glass bottle between his two fingers to drip the scented oil into his palm.

He allowed the bottle to sit upright against his own thigh, just before he dipped his fingers towards his palm and let the oil coat them generously. The remaining pool of it dripped through his fingers and some splattered on his inner thigh, with Sousuke smearing the rest over his exposed entrance.

“ _T-There_ ,” Rin stuttered, a hiss sounding when he gasped at the touch.

Just by the slight twitches he was getting from the rim let Sousuke know he was still loose from last night. He hadn’t expected him to heal completely with only a day between their unions, of course, but he appreciated how eager his body was.

His fingers had found a dusky nipple and he found a slightly sadistic sort of joy from teasing them as usual, if the way Rin _squeaked_ was any indication of his enjoyment. The pad of his middle finger traced the edges of his rim, as if studying how well he reacted to each stroke, and how he tightened just a little every time.

“S-Stop teas _-ngh--!”_

Sousuke paused for the split second it took to register the moan that was drawn out in his ear and he noticed Rin was facing the side of his head, teething the shell of his ear as if to get his attention.

“I’m not teasing,” Sousuke said, unconvincingly even as his fingers continued to do just that. Rin snorted, a sound Sousuke hadn’t expected from him in this situation.

“What,” he breathed, letting his head fall back and his hair spread out on his pillow, “do I have to say to get you to fuck me into my mattress so hard I’ll still be seeing stars tomorrow?”

He still managed to say it in a regal manner made Sousuke’s _blood boil_ in his veins, startling his heartbeat to pick up wildly. His lips curved into a smile as his vision narrowed and locked only on him. “ _Please_ and _Thank you_ should do nicely, my Liege,” was his response before he was pushing the first finger inside, the ease in which it was accepted almost making him groan.

Rin’s fingers almost slipped from his thigh, his head digging back into his mattress as Sousuke saw his teeth stab his lip again when he moaned but it sounded weak. Sousuke settled closer, pushing against Rin’s back to balance them better and slipped a second finger in without Rin’s pending demands.  The next moan was more encouraging and he felt it was safe to slowly push the third finger in and stretch him carefully. His fingers kept tweaking his budding nipple, letting him enjoy the attention given to his chest as he stretched him out just to be certain.

“H-Hey,” Rin was stammering, with his moans and quivers keeping his voice from being as steady as he’d probably like it to, “Please.”

Sousuke wanted to be a little meaner. He really did. A jab was on the tip of his tongue but when he stroked a spot on the last downward curl and Rin _wailed_ when he clenched around his fingers he was convinced he wouldn’t last for any longer without having him clenching around his cock instead.

Sousuke let his fingers slip out, despite Rin’s attempt to keep them inside by clenching down harder. They departed with a muffled slick sound and Sousuke pushed up to his own knees, his hand slipping from under Rin to grab hold of the thigh he was holding up himself. He had already straddled the leg that was resting on the mattress. Warm fingers pressed down a little harder around Rin’s smooth thighs, in an effort to keep it held securely against his chest as he lined his cock against him. Rin tensed, his lower lip being preyed upon by his sharp canines, biting down harder and coming dangerously close to drawing blood when Sousuke braced himself against the mattress on his knees and his free hand.

Just the sight of Rin, sprung up despite his uncooperative limbs and the heated gaze only he could affect Sousuke with left him almost drunk on the image. He wanted to wreck him, let him cry and plead for him to give him the screaming bliss he needed. A part of him acknowledged the admittedly unhealthy need to want to see Rin’s shell completely shattered – in pieces of the façade he kept himself veiled in.

Rin was beautiful, elegant, and fantastical even in his demurity, but he was wild, unrestrained and so, _so loud_ like this, when he bared himself and let Sousuke penetrate inside something more than the tight heat of his body.

“ _Aah_ ,” Rin moaned, his chest arching up and his head digging back into his favourite pillow. The position allowed him to bury half of his face in it, allowing him to muffle his voice just a little as well.

It was incredible how he was still a stern fit after the previous night and the preparation, but Sousuke revelled in it once he was completely sheathed. He had to take a moment to let out a sharp hiss of pleasure. His eyes were closed and he could acutely follow the trail a thick drop of sweat was following down his temple into his brow. He had waited too long, took too long just to tease Rin when he was fingering him. Now he couldn’t afford to move immediately, just for one moment he had to remain still to compose himself, lest he come right there from the way he was convulsing around Sousuke’s cock. Best to enjoy Heaven when he had him.

“Sou—,”Rin was keening, and there was movement on the mattress. Sousuke opened his eyes and was met with Rin’s tearful ones and he felt mercy, moments before he began moving.

The degree which he had underestimated his own neglected need amused him in the separate, distant part of his mind not occupied with moving in Rin. He had been a fool to think he’d be able to start slow and build a gradual, not with the way he was being _begged_ to go faster. And what could Sousuke do but obey, his head bowed and pounding with the blood drumming through his body.

“Sousuke, oh, _oh oh, please, I’m gonna—_ ,” his prince pleaded him, desperate, strung too far and tight to give him more now.

Rin was crying, a quirk that should have alarmed but he was far too used to it now and it just made Sousuke fuck harder, push Rin’s leg further to his taut body instead of hold it to Sousuke’s chest as a frenzy overtook him.

“Sousuke,” Rin panted, his hands digging into his pillow that he had turned to clutch, “Sousuke, oh, _oh—_ “

His nerves were suddenly on fire, every inch of skin sensitive, from the way he held onto Rin’s thigh to how suddenly Rin had tightened around him. Sousuke let go of Rin’s leg, the impact of his orgasm on his body forcing him to slam his hand flat on the mattress to keep him upright above him. Rin was heaving, shoulders shaking with dry sobs and Sousuke belatedly noticed the strings of white come sticking to the sheer robe that had been pushed up his body.

Slowly he pulled out, knowing better than to keep anymore of his release inside him much longer. He let Rin’s leg that had braced itself against his chest slowly settle on the bed before he made Rin turn to lie on his back. He reached over to grab a haphazardly thrown towel from the edge of the bed, behind where his knees were still locked to keep himself in position. By the time he was wiping off Rin’s release from his chest he had noticed it had slowed from its heavy rising and falling and his breath came through easier.

Sousuke exhaled a deep sigh when his eyes met Rin’s, warm and tired. Before he could reign in the impulse he had leaned forward and kissed him. Limp arms rose despite their drag and hung over Sousuke’s shoulder as Rin returned the kiss. Much like their morning kiss it was warm, slow and Sousuke felt fingers tangle in his short hair before he was being pulled down to finally let his legs unlock and lay on him. Arms that were thicker, stronger than his despite Rin not being slight in the least, were looping under Rin’s shoulders. His fingers hooked over them and Sousuke was only then allowed to pull away from the kiss.

“You’re like a beast in bed,” said Rin in his drunken post-coitus bliss, “I thought you were supposed to be tired, you tool.”

Sousuke hid a smile in Rin’s nape. “I’m never too tired to serve your immediate needs, Sire.” He felt a sharp tug on his hair at that.

“Quit callin’ me that, at least say my name here,” Rin complained and let his head attempt squashing Sousuke’s between his cheek and his shoulder.

“Alright, Rin,” he allowed, his thumbs circling the curve of his shoulders affectionately, in a tone made to sound placating. Rin gave a groan-sigh of irritation but let it drop in favour of being spoiled a little more. Sousuke pushed up eventually, having to persuade Rin to let go from where he was clinging, his voice warm when he warned him that _you’ll be uncomfortable tomorrow morning when you try to clean up, so let me._

When he had drawn out almost all of the semen out of Rin, all through annoyed wriggling on the towel and petulant griping about how it’s no longer romantic, Sousuke’s ruined the entire mood – he finally bundled the towel and tossed it over the bed, making a reminder to himself to pick it up later before he was sliding up Rin’s body and wrapping his arms around him tight.

“You didn’t have to do it,” Rin said, for the last time Sousuke could only hope, as he turned his body to his other side and burrowed himself in the inviting warmth of Sousuke’s chest.

“Do I need to speak it out loud for you to know I’ve done it because I wanted to?” Sousuke countered lazily, having settled down comfortably, with his fingers carding through Rin’s slightly damp hair. The nights were usually cold even with drapery over the windows and the veils around the bed, so he was cooling down quickly as expected.

Rin remained silent, his skin absorbing all the warmth Sousuke was pressing up against him. It was late and he wanted to fall to sleep before he became weary with emotions once more.

* * *

 

The night passed through too quickly and Rin was awoken in the same manner as the previous morning, with and almost identical exchange of words. He arrived after Sousuke, in the same manner, ate his morning breakfast at the same time and settled in his throne with a wince and a grumble of a complaint before slipping into the princely manner he had the day previously.

All in all, it seemed to go over the same, he only had to attend to the few clerks and regional chiefs he hadn’t been able to see yesterday, and he was eating his lunch alone this afternoon. Quiet, but in peace, until the mundane and the usual was suddenly cracked and struck through its centre when the doors to the dining hall slammed open and Sousuke stood, with an expression of alarm.

Rin had been leaning forward, about to sink his teeth into the tender flesh of rare rib meat, when Sousuke walked towards him, a document holder circled in his grasp.

_“The river’s been dammed.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to culpaeros for beta-ing for me. Warnings will be included in later chapters for Graphic Depictions of Violence, so please be safe and aware.
> 
> On a lighter note, I'm going to aim to put as much porn in this as I possible can. Original aim was they have sex once every chapter but then I realized I should reconsider until they're written to see if they're appropriate to moods and such, but there will be plenty, plenty of sex scenes, that much I can promise you.
> 
> Next time; Rin begins negotiations and contacts the ruling body who is threatening his city and people's livelihoods, while a rather excitable dancer makes an appearance to bother Sousuke and feed him some juicy intel, and the whimsical treasurer debuts to discuss matters with Rin.


End file.
